NH Chapter 16
Hero - Chapter 16 ‘those two… are the same…’ The meaning behind the King’s words were beyond anyone’s wildest imaginations. The greatest burning flame of their entire lifetimes could be matched? Impossible! It can’t be! No!! The King had just said what the nobles had truly, truly feared. It was too much, simply, simply too much to handle. Could they even hope to stop it… her… it… it doesn’t matter… Could it really be that even that man… may not be able to contain it… that… woman… Is it really true… that she also stood at the same peak? No, how could they accept that! That monster of theirs could never know an equal! The notion was simply too great, too pressing… Especially for the prince, for Leon, who praised the man in question more than any other. He burst out in defense of the man he respected the most. (Crown Prince Leon) “Lord Father! You speak too much! That woman is but a worm, a beat compared to-” But he didn’t get far, his father already knew his son at least that much. That he couldn’t take Isaac being insulted was a fault in on itself that could have easily been exploited. (King Gideon) “Boy… I’m not asking for your opinion. This. Is. Reality.” Once again, the room went silent. Prince Leon bit his lower lip, his right fist clenching until his knuckles clicked and creaked, his nails biting into his skin. He could never accept this… no, he would never accept it… But… this is his father… his King! He cannot speak out against the King… (King Gideon) “Now, what to do about that monster of a woman… We are certainly not going against her, that much is completely certain. There is nothing to gain by suppressing, well, rather attempting to suppress someone who could easily become a great future boon for our people. Hah… truly… is she even a person we can hope to suppress… I probably wouldn’t have said a word if it were actually that simple… How to deal with this so that future trouble can be avoided… How… … … Wait…” At that moment, the King had an idea… No, perhaps it could only be considered a memory that could have let to a mere hint to a possibility. It was simply that far off from an actual idea, a single shot into the shadows hoping to hit a fly on the wall. The King’s mind flashing back to the method that the Baron Isaac Kaylock of old had used to place him upon the throne. Using an ancient law to bypass all opposition! But… even so, the King knew almost nothing about ancient law… While he was no idiot or incompetent, he was treated as such and never given the slightest ounce of education. From language to even reading, he had to slowly teach himself over the course of decades. From history to numbers, the old king truly knew none of it. He even had to learn how to read on his own, within the matter of seconds to minutes he had alone, over nearly twenty years. One could only really say that he became literate roughly around the time he reached thirty four years old. Since everything was run without him, he never had the chance, or means to hone or pick up any skill pertaining to leadership, only social skills. When trying to solve the problem before him, King Gideon was once more reminded of his great quantity of shortcomings. He was so old, yet he had so little background to use to solve the problems at hand now that he stepped up to the plate… He claimed the role of the one to solve the problem at hand… but… No, it is far better to say that the King, if he hadn’t spoken up here, everything could have well been lost. Though there is no way for him to have known everything. His view was that his kin and the nobles would have turned their fear into a blind hatred as they lacked any explanation to the current events. It would have led them to their doom by that woman’s hands the moment they made her into an enemy. How could they actually contain or fight something like that? Neither he, nor Isaac, can hope to live forever, these children and nobles would be left alone against a figure who was at the very least equal to Isaac. Except, unlike Isaac, she would be an enemy against the throne, rather than the one maintaining it. If looking at the King’s position, one would actually wonder if, the family loving King, had not actually been forced into this situation. If you saw a doom over your children, it would hardly make sense for one to simply back away, a true father would stand right in front of his children, sacrificing himself before he let even the slightest harm befall his children. Such was the path Gideon decided to take, before it was too late. To him, there was no other way anymore, Isaac left, and all that remained to stop the tide was him. In the clouds of Gideon’s mental fatigue, the image of that woman’s face, filled with chaos, once again panged upon the King’s psyche. He could never bear to allow his precious children to have such a being as their enemy… Just as the King thought this, his eyes went full. The edges of his face lifting. That was it! That is how he could avoid the future clashes between these people, that is how he can protect his family, even if it meant turning the entire noble world into his enemy! And that was.. (King Gideon) “Heraldr!” There was the slightest pause, and then his shoulders jolted after realizing he had suddenly been called. Heraldr’s response was a simple ‘Yes!’ (King Gideon) “The eyes… That woman had brown eyes did she not?” Heraldr pondered the odd question for a few moments, he had not truly looked at her face but why was the King…. Wait… He couldn’t actually be planning to… Amazing… Heraldr couldn’t help but shudder… this was his father… unbelievable… how could he have not seen such ability within his father… how could he have thought this man was weak! The eyes! Of course he could use the eyes! *!!!* The nobles began to realize it too, and then whispers began to come from the seats where the High noble houses were seated. Just as they realized it, Heraldr raised his head to speak. His eyes glowing with anticipation… was his father really going to…. (King Gideon) “I can see it on your faces… So I suppose you have all realized what I plan to do… Well, On my full authority as King, I declare that the social status of that woman has been determined. Upon the eighth day of Silverlight, the Rise of the seventh High Noble house within the History of Kremor, the High House of Argat has risen!” At the moment the King spoke, the Noble’s sheer outcry was fierce. NO!! HOW DARE YOU!!! YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT!!! KILL HER!!! MAIM HER!!! BANISH HER!!! But the old man, standing atop the throne was unaffected. No, one can’t say that the King’s current actions and the sheer level of attention on the old king that he was now receiving had no effect. In truth, the King had long since passed his mental threshold and was hold on only through sheer willpower. The only thing keeping him conscious was his determination and sheer stubborn nature in the defense of his children. Thus, in the face of a parent determined to protect his offspring, what true force could ever cause such a person to back down. (King Gideon) “To where has it become the realm of the nobility’s charge to say what thine King shall or shall not do, to say, and to be? Certainly the King I be has remained silent in the actions of the nobility and others, but when had it actually been that such a right of mine hath been legally revoked before the council of nobles as is the only way to remove my rights as passed down by the Lords of Light above? To be and to not be within a realm of silence or within a realm of action, that which is remains does it not? I am King, ruler of the highest class. The roles of the nobility is but my charge and not their own. My words had been but spoken for me, do not take it that I have no ability to speak them myself!” The room was aghast He was completely right… By the laws of the land, the King was completely right… They truly had no grounds to say anything, their only legal responsibilities were to manage the tax and lands, as well as to offer their educated council to the absolute king of the land… In times past, they had asserted control over the throne after the Royal family was all but wiped out, they simply used a puppet to control the throne. Since the child was so young, they could keep him dumb until he died to use the throne to their purposes. Once he died, they’d slowly corrupt Leon to suit their purposes. With the peasantry being educated, the roles of the nobility had already fallen under threat, but so long as they moved once the King died, they could prevent their decline after some time passed. Such was the plan of the High lords and the other ninety four lesser houses. But now, due to the single stand of that weak and mediocre king, their plans were shattered. The nobility normally play laws against the Royalty to gain ground and restrict the Royal’s movements. That is the basic concept of the nobility, to damage the reputation of the Royalty at every turn and use laws to protect themselves. If the Royalty had the authority, the militarial control, and the law, the nobility are reduced to mere people with naught but their blind pride. (King Gideon) “The Royal Family charges this… Silver Hero… with the demesne of the Isle of Demons as per her interest in the territory. All lands within the island, the resources, and citizenry or species unknown are under her legal charge” … Silver hero? What..? What sort of name is that? Wait… what was her name in the first place…? No, just call her what the King does for now, who cares what the name of ‘THAT’ woman is! True… Ya… Why should we nobles care about that woman? But… ‘That’ woman is now a High Noble! What are we going to do about her… Such were the conversations being held by the various families present. Most were waiting for the King to continue speaking, but, after several minutes the King merely sat back down on his throne. With a wave from his right hand, the King signaled that the decision was over, and thus, so too was the trial. A great number of nobles were greatly dissatisfied, but as the situation was gravely against them, they saw it as a chance to retreat and gather ground rather than pushing their luck. Being given the chance to retreat and plan was treated as a gift. In truth, many would look to the King’s actions this day and wonder why the later famed ‘King of Silence’ had allowed the nobles to leave when he could have easily used his present absolute authority to permanently weaken the nobility. After decades of silence, the power of the realm had been centralized by the very people who would normally have tried to remove it. As the King had remained silent and weak for longer than any noble could remember, the nobility had no longer had any plans nor contingencies for the King. In simple terms, it was common opinion amongst historians and storytellers alike that the King had allowed his only enemy to retreat after he had not only routed, but totally surrounded them with a sneak attack from behind, each flank, and within. Even centuries later, historians simply could not understand why the King would actually allow the nobles the chance to recover when they were already in a desperate situation. To corner an enemy only to let it go while it knew just how cornered it was, was a great blunder in all sense of political or military tactics. However, such misgivings and misinterpretations are often the case within the passages of time, and the passing of man. One can never truly know what was going on within the mind of King Gideon as he stood upon the throne with a grand authority for the first time in nearly fifty years. The true reason for the King’s actions were hidden from all records by Heraldr. The truth behind it all lied within the moment the final noble had left the room. The second the guards outside the hall reclosed the large doors to the room, the King, King Gideon, collapsed from an intense seizure, his eyes bleeding as he slowly bucked and spasmed to the ground from his throne. The truth is that he had been feeling an intense pain from his head since after he shouted at Leon, but toughed through the ever growing intense pain for the sake of his mission. Near the end, both of Gideon’s legs had gone numb and he could no longer speak, which is why he fell to his chair. Feeling his consciousness growing faint, he ushered the Nobles to leave the room, knowing that if he were to collapse before the gathered and enraged nobility, it would lead to their demise for sure. In a panic, Heraldr and the rest of the Royal Family quickly brought Gideon to his chambers via a secret passage where they would personally treat the King over the course of two days. Miraculously, King Gideon would not only survive, but even regained consciousness just after those two days in good health. The only resulting problem would be the damage to Gideon’s brain as a result of said seizure, leading to the loss of his verbal functionality. While his vocal cords were perfectly fine, the King could no longer form words, and thus was functionally mute. He could of course make noise, but forming words was beyond his ability. After the King regained consciousness, he and Heraldr would devise a way to hide his present condition from public knowledge. Thus, while the other Royals knew their father collapsed, the fact that he could no longer speak was hidden to just Heraldr and Gideon. The initial awakening of the King was met with great confusion as Heraldr was greeted by the King’s panic. Only after almost twenty minutes of trying to understand the situation did Heraldr hypothesize that his father had lost his ability to speak. While he didn’t know how it happened, Heraldr surmised that it must be the case due to the random noises coming from his father’s mouth instead of words. Days later the court would receive a report that the King had fallen ill with an unknown throat ailment and had thus been bedridden for the previous days. As a result of his illness, his voice was greatly damaged, and a decision that the King would no longer be capable of realistic communication wherein Leon would step in as regent while the King was recovering. One could never know the chain of events that would one day come about due to the King taking a step back just after striking the hornet’s nest. Chapter 16 - END White's Corner: And with that, the last of my premade material has been burnt up. Luckily I managed to write up a good amount of material for the next chapter during the down time at a family gathering today. Next chapter, the hero returns to the big screen! Stay Tuned~ ~White